Some Reminiscences of old Victoria Part 23

"Seconded by the Rev. Mr. Clarke, and pa.s.sed with applause.

"Col. Moody then briefly replied that he came here from England with the sole object of promoting the best interests of the country, and in aiding in the promotion of the objects of this a.s.sociation he was but performing his duty.

"All the speakers were repeatedly applauded; and all the resolutions pa.s.sed by acclamation.

"The Doxology having been sung, the Rev. E. Cridge p.r.o.nounced a benediction, when the meeting dispersed, highly gratified with the organization of the First Young Men's Christian a.s.sociation of Victoria, Vancouver Island."

[Ill.u.s.tration: Sir Richard McBride.]

CHAPTER x.x.xIV.

THE LATE MR. T. GEIGER.

About thirty-five years ago, maybe a little more, it was a fine bright summer afternoon and rather warm. The sun beat down on the awnings on the east side of Government Street. It was the custom then for all stores to have wooden awnings with a kind of drop curtain awning which rolled up and down, and on the summer afternoons it was sure to be down. But to proceed; when all these drop curtains were down the sidewalk was enclosed from one end of the street to the other. Before I proceed to say anything more about these awnings and sidewalks, I will have to admit that our city was not the Victoria of to-day, and I am sure I shall hardly be credited if I a.s.sert that a cannon might have been fired down the centre of Government Street, and chances taken of not striking anyone. I mean that a time could have been chosen when it could have been done with perfect safety. On any of these quiet afternoons, a sudden uproar might have been heard of a flock of geese alighting from a distance on Government Street to feed on the sides of the streets on the gra.s.s that grew there. As they pa.s.sed up the street they chattered away, likely discussing the quiet times which permitted them to make a feeding ground of the chief business street of the city. During the time the geese are chatting with one another, several little groups of Victoria's respected citizens are having their afternoon chat on the several topics of the day. I see them now, as I saw them then, a row of chairs, some of them tipped back and the occupier perhaps smoking.

There was, likely, Alexander Gilmore, merchant tailor. Then half a dozen guests in the front of the Colonial Hotel, which was next door to Fletcher's music store; then Joe Lovett of Lovett's Exchange, and then the subject of my little sketch, Tommy Geiger. He was well known and well liked by all, and fond of a joke was Tommy. No one ever thought of calling him other than "Tommy" in those good old days.

Very few fortunes were made in those days on Government Street, or those summer afternoon chats, sitting on tipped-up chairs would not have been held.

It must have been a slack time of the day to be able to enjoy themselves in this free and easy manner. A customer goes into one of these stores, the proprietor gets up, goes in to serve him, and then returns to his seat to resume the conversation. They did not worry, they lived quietly, were able to bring up their families as they should, and to-day these families represent some of our best business men. So I say "_requiescat in pace_." He was an enthusiastic fireman in those days when volunteer firemen did so much for nothing and that efficiently, too.

THE ROSTER OF THE "FIFTY-EIGHTERS" IN THE PROVINCE.

The following is a list of those who remain of the twenty thousand people who arrived in Victoria from San Francisco in 1858, the first year of the gold excitement:

Anderson, James R. November. Str. Cortez, from San Francisco. Ar. with sister; retired Deputy Minister of Agriculture Adams, Frank. July Str. Pacific, from San Francisco. Ar. young, with father and mother; now with firm of E. B. Marvin & Co.

Allatt, Frederick. August 12. Str. John L. Stephens, Ar. young, with father and mother; from S. Francisco. now carpenter and contractor Alexander, March. Str. Oregon, from San Francisco. Ar. with wife and son Charles.

Borde, August. April. Str. America, from San Francisco. Ar. with father and mother; now Munic.i.p.al Water Rates Collector Booth, Samuel. September. Str. Cortez, from San Francisco. Ar. with brother Borthwick, Ralph. July 7. Str. Orizaba, from San Francisco. Ar. single; hotel-keeper Burnes, Thomas J. May 11. Str. Commodore, from San Francisco. Ar. single; hotel-keeper, now Customs Officer; was prominent fireman in early days Chambers, Walter. Ar. with father and mother Cogan, August. s.h.i.+p Oracle, from San Francisco. Ar. with father and mother Mrs. George.

Collins, Henry. August. s.h.i.+p Oracle, from San Francisco. Ar. with father and mother Gribble, Henry. June. Str. Republic from San Francisco. Ar. single; gold miner, then engaged in retail business Harrison, July. Str. Brother Jonathan, Ar. with husband, son and daughter Mrs. Eli, Sr. from S. Francisco.

Harrison, Eli. July. Str. Brother Jonathan, Ar. with father, mother and sister; from S. Francisco. now Judge Hastings, August. s.h.i.+p Oracle, from San Francisco. Ar. with father, mother and sister.

Mrs. Oregon C. Maiden name Layzell Helgeson, Hans. July 4. Str. Brother Jonathan, Ar. single from S. Francisco.

Higgins, David W. July 19. Str. Sierra Nevada, Ar. single; newspaper proprietor, from San Francisco. retired Humphreys, Dec. 28. Overland, from California. Ar. single; gold miner, William. now in Customs Lombard, Charles. August. Str. Oregon, from San Francisco. Ar. with father and mother; now in the optical business Marvin, July. Str. Pacific, from San Francisco. Ar. with husband and son Mrs. Edward.

McPhadden, Mrs. July. Str. Brother Jonathan, Ar. with father, mother and brother.

from S. Francisco. Maiden name Harrison Moore, John. July. Str. Cortez, from San Francisco. Ar. with father, mother and brother.

Purser C.P.R. Co.

Moore, William. July. Str. Cortez, from San Francisco. Ar. with father, mother and brother.

Miner in Alaska Moore, James. May. Via Bellingham Bay, Ar. single; gold miner from San Francisco.

Phillips, July. Str. Pacific, from San Francisco. Ar. with husband and son.

Mrs. Alexander. Resident of Seattle, Wash.

Phelps, August. s.h.i.+p Oracle, from San Francisco. Ar. with husband; Mrs. Edward. now widow in this city Scott, June. Barque George Anna, Ar. with husband; Mrs. William. from San Francisco. now widow in this city Seward, Thomas W. May. Barque D. M. Hall, Ar. single; gold miner from San Francisco.

Sere, John B. June 11. Str. Republic from San Francisco. Ar. with wife and son; was prominent hotel-keeper--Hotel de France Stelly, George. May. Str. Oregon, from San Francisco. Ar. single; contractor Wolfenden, Mrs. H. August. s.h.i.+p Oracle from San Francisco. Ar. with father and mother

This list and statement has been compiled with the greatest care by the undersigned, who has lived in this city continuously since February 13th, 1859, when he arrived with his mother and three brothers on the steamer Northerner, from San Francisco, Cal., his father, Thomas Lea Fawcett, having arrived the previous year, July, 1858.

Sept. 1st, 1908.

EDGAR FAWCETT.

The undersigned, who has lived in this city since July, 1858, certifies to the correctness of this statement.

D. W. HIGGINS.

Note--Since the original list was compiled in 1908, thirteen have since died, leaving thirty-one remaining, as per above list, on March 1st, 1912.

CHAPTER x.x.xV.

ROSTER OF THE FIFTY-EIGHTERS

Being those remaining in 1908 of the 20,000 people who came to Victoria from California in the year 1858. Total, 45.--E. F.

Before the year 1858, Victoria was a trading station or fort of the Hudson's Bay Company. In that year the news that gold had been discovered on Fraser River had reached San Francisco. It was not long ere the news travelled all over California and craft of all kinds were soon on the berth for Victoria. The list of steamers alone is a long one, and they were mostly taken off the Panama route, and are all to-day a thing of the past. There was the _Pacific_, the loss of which caused the greatest loss of life of them all put together, the _Cortez_, _John L. Stephens_, _Oregon_, _America_, afterwards the _Brother Jonathan_, _Orizaba_, _Commodore_, _Republic_, _Sierra Nevada_, and several smaller ones.

Of those on the framed list there is Frank Adams, who has spent the best part of his life here, and is a partner in the firm of E. B.

Marvin & Co.; James R. Anderson, late deputy minister of Agriculture, whose father was the first Collector of Customs for Vancouver Island in 1858; Frederick Allatt, who has also been here from childhood, and whose father was an early time contractor; Charles Alexander, of Saanich; August Borde and his mother, the former water rates collector for the city; Samuel Booth, who was in business in the city market building; Ralph Borthwick, and Thomas J. Burnes, formerly hotel men, and the latter a chief of the early Volunteer Fire Department. Walter Chambers, who came an infant, and who is so well known in connection with the lumber industry of this city; Mrs.

George Cogan and Mrs. Henry Collins, two daughters of the late Mr.

Rabson, of Esquimalt and Comox; Alexander Gilmore, one of the pioneer clothiers of this city; Henry Gribble, who for years kept a fancy goods store, and who is to-day blind; Mr. Judge Harrison and his mother, whom I have known since 1859; Mrs. O. C. Hastings, _nee_ Miss Layzell, with whom I went to school in 1859; David W. Higgins, of whom I need say little, as he is so well known as an editor and writer of such interesting stories of early pioneer life; William Humphreys, late alderman and Cariboo miner; Samuel Kelly, who was another prominent volunteer fireman, chief of the early fire department; Charles Lombard, who was an amateur singer, a.s.sisted to make life pa.s.s pleasantly at the various concerts of early times; Mrs. Edward Marvin, mother of Mr. Frank Adams; Mrs. McPhaden, of Vancouver, and sister of Judge Harrison; Captain William Moore, the veteran steamboat captain, one of the best known men of British Columbia; Mrs. Moore, John Moore, the veteran purser, and his brother William; James Moore, one of the discoverers of gold on the Fraser River; Mrs. Alex. Phillips, her son, whose husband and father was a pioneer soda water maker of the early days; Mrs. W. Scott, whose husband was steward on so many of the early steamers of these waters; Louis G. McQuade, of P. McQuade & Sons; Thomas W. Seward, a veteran miner of Cariboo, and who is a familiar figure on our streets to-day as he strolls about; John B. Sere, of the Richmond, a former proprietor of the Hotel de France, on Government Street; Chas.

McK. Smith, brother of Amor de Cosmos, founder of the _Colonist_; Stephen A. Spencer, a pioneer photographer; George Stelly, owner of the Clarence Block, and a pioneer teamster of long ago; Frank Sylvester, who died a month ago; Mrs. Julia Travis; Joseph W. Carey, formerly mayor; E. Cody Johnson, caretaker of the city market; Mrs.

R. Wolfenden, wife of the King's Printer. This list will be framed and hung in the Parliament Buildings for the inspection of the sons and daughters of the above in the years to come.

CHAPTER x.x.xVI.

MORE LIGHT ON CLOSING OF VIEW STREET.

I had intended to let "View Street" and its closing up in 1858 alone, being content that I had proved that it was understood in 1858 that it reached to Wharf Street, but I have since come upon some interesting evidence bearing upon it and so give it to those old timers whom I am sure will be interested. Firstly, there is to be seen plainly painted on a verandah on a building facing on what was then known as View Street, opposite the Hudson Bay Company's store "View Street," and I also produce an editorial in the _Colonist_, written by my old friend Amor de Cosmos, November 14, 1859, which proves that it was a burning question at that time and here it is verbatim.

The British _Colonist_, Printed and Published by Amor De Cosmos, Wharf Street, East side, between Yates and View Streets, Victoria, V. I.

Friday, September 9, 1859.

This was cut out of the file that contained the editorial, as further proof.

E. Fawcett.

[Ill.u.s.tration: View St.]

"We have long been aware that the Hudson's Bay Company claim the owners.h.i.+p of the streets of Victoria. In fact, in 1858 their t.i.tle was so far a.s.serted as to sell a portion of the street where Johnson and Wharf Streets unite at Victoria bridge.

"They also shut up one street at the south end of the Fort and opened another a little beyond. Besides this they promised in 1838 to the purchasers of lots on View Street that that street should be opened from Broad to Wharf. Instead of fulfilling their promise like an honest company, that street was actually closed, instead of opened, by blocking up the west end by a large brick police building. It is true that since May last--when the Government reserve between Yates and the block house was seized by the Company, with the consent of His Excellency--a small alley has been opened where View Street ought to be, but even that by some unknown authority, a.s.sumed by the Police Commissioners, has been closed to vehicles. That authority will, however, soon be tested, if the obstacle is not speedily removed, as purchasers of lots in the reserve are ent.i.tled to its use. Had it not been for our timely exposure of the intentions of the Company, the line of Wharf Street would have been deflected like an elbow, from Reid's corner southerly. The last act, however, of the honorable Hudson's Bay Company, is not only contemptible, but 'unjust and oppressive,' although His Excellency Governor Douglas, in his despatch of October 25, 1858, said that the often a.s.serted charge in England that the Company 'had made an unjust and oppressive use of their power in this country,' is altogether unfounded.